What is it?
Schwalbe Thunder Burt 29 Snakeskin Tyre.
What is it for?
Dry conditions XC racing.
Who is it for?
Those with a need... A need for speed!
Introduced as a bridge between the immensely popular Racing Ralph and Furious Fred (with it's lack of tread), the Thunder Burt is designed as a go to tyre for serious XC racers. That is, assuming the conditions are drier than my sense of humour.
Set up Tubeless, first ride impressions of the Thunder Burt seem good. In the dry sand of Woodhill forest, as a rear tyre they roll super quick and haven't sent me sliding out on any climbs just yet.
Cornering grip is less than their slightly larger cousin the Racing Ralph (as to be expected), but again, I haven't been flicked out into any drifts or spins because of them just yet. Wet roots have given a momentary pause for thought but set up tubeless they have handled everything the way I would expect an XC tyre to.
My one concern is on the green turf matting used to make trails ride-able in all conditions; that stuff gets slippery and in these circumstances the Thunder Burt didn't do much to help. In fairness, I doubt the slightly larger Racing Ralph that I had up front did much either, but it is worth knowing the limits of the tread design. Keep it on for dry days folks, but otherwise shift to a slightly meatier design to keep your self in check.
More over the next few months as I flog these tyres and see what they can do on a variety of surfaces.
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